


Sleepy Cuddles

by Gottaloveoliver



Category: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Other, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23749240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gottaloveoliver/pseuds/Gottaloveoliver
Summary: Classic bed sharing fic. You and Stephen share a bed and life takes its course.
Relationships: Stephen Colbert/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Sleepy Cuddles

“and don’t forget to go out and vote this November!” Stephen chuckled, whispering into your ear, “I hope not.” You giggled, pushing him playfully.

The network saw the upcoming political conventions as an opportunity to earn as many viewers as possible, making you and Stephen combine shows for a weeklong event covering the DNC and RNC. Obviously, everyone loved it. You both hosted two of the highest rated shows in late night, the both of you always competing head to head in the ratings for number one. 

The both of you loved the idea of collaborating, considering you were best friends and hadn’t been able to work together since your Daily Show days, where you first met Stephen and began your career. 

The cameramen and producers began packing up, the surrounding politicians and civilians preparing to leave. The RNC was over. 

“You’re staying in the same hotel as me tonight, right?” 

“Yeah, I think the rooms are next to each other actually.” He gave you a warm smile, knowing that would mean the two of you would spend some time talking before bed. You smiled back, immediately bringing your eyes to the floor after making eye contact with him, blood immediately flowing to your cheeks and ears. 

Here he was, the person you tell first when you have exciting news, the one you lean on when you feel lost, the one you laugh uncontrollably with about things that aren’t even that funny, the one you’re texting when you should be sleeping, the one you trust with your deepest secrets, the one you feel free to be stupid with, the one with whom you share every inch of your soul, and yet you couldn’t tell him how you really felt. 

It was truly a shame, never telling the man you loved just how much you loved him. Of course, the fans, and even your close family and friends thought the two of you were dating, but the closest you’d ever gotten to being in a relationship was being “Stephen Colbert’s” wife on The Colbert Report.

“Are you ready to go?” Stephen asked. 

“Of course.” 

Once you’d reached the hotel, you hadn’t expected anything to go wrong, but of course reality had to prove you wrong. 

Stephen grabbed your bags out of the car’s trunk, hurriedly shutting the trunk, the rain pouring down heavily, not leaving a single place untouched. Your teeth chattered as he handed you the bags, you had not brought a coat. You hadn’t expected it to rain, especially after four days of straight sunshine.

“Here,” he placed the bags on the ground and took off his suit jacket, placing it on your shoulders to cover you, leaving him drenched. You picked up the bags, hurrying into the hotel lobby, Stephen right behind you. 

You sighed, entering the building to feel complete warmth envelope your body, automatically making you feel better. As you stood in line to check in, you turned to Stephen, who stood soaking head to toe. His hair had been completely drenched by the rain, his curls dropping down to the front, and his gray hairs turning a darker shade. 

He faked a grumpy face, his eyes looking up at his dripping hair. You giggled, thinking of a witty joke, but stopped, hearing the “Next,” being said by the desk lady. You gave her your reservation information and received the keycard. You leaned to the side as Stephen began to give her his information, “Wait a second sir,” she gave him a confused look. 

“The two of you aren’t staying in the same room?” 

The two of you made eye contact giving each other looks signaling panic, “No, we aren’t.” The clerk grinds her teeth, “That was our last room, the rest are occupied.” Stephen sighed, opening his mouth to speak, “I-“ You cut him off, “It’s fine you can stay with me, we can share the bed.” 

He raised his eyebrows, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s the last night anyway.” Stephen nodded, grabbing the bags and heading towards the elevator, it was going to be a long night...

Once you’d made it to the room you changed out of your clothes and began preparing for the early flight the next morning, and Stephen had decided to take a shower, despite it raining. 

You shoved your nerves under an exasperated sigh when thinking about the single bed in the room. Of course, only your luck would land you in a situation like this.

Just as you set your phone down, Stephen wandered out of the bathroom, now wearing a flannel pajama set, fitting snug around his soft belly, and the hair gel from hair and make up now completely gone, and his natural curls showing. 

He looked… adorable, to say the least. 

He shot you a smile before plopping down in the bed next to you. Your over-clocked emotions kept you awake as he drifted off. The storms always bring about the chance of absence, of spiriting away the warmth that is occupying the bed beside you.

Stephen’s initial soft snores made you smile, and you could finally look over to where his soft skin shone through the dark hair. You were positive he had never been more beautiful than in that moment, the moonlight accentuating his lashes, the soft line of his jaw, his perfect nose, his inviting lips… 

A loud snort startled you as those lips opened further and he shifted in his sleep. You drew the blanket over your face to stifle your laughs. That was certainly unexpected. His breathing evened off again, and you felt yourself relaxing.

You were on the cusp of sleep when you felt his fingers brush your arm. Your insides lit up. You didn’t care what a cliché bed-sharing was, if it got Stephen to finally wrap his arms around you without fear of driving you away, you would take a thousand clichés. Your breath hitched in your throat as you felt him continue to touch you. 

You leaned into his touch, turning around to face him completely. You give a soft sigh into the silence of the bedroom, staring through the darkness at the vague outline of the rafters on the ceiling as you come to terms with the fact that you will not be falling asleep again soon. 

The rain drums a steady pattern against the window panes, a very distant rumble of thunder rolling over your senses. It should soothe you, should be enough to lull you back to sleep, but it isn’t. 

You sigh once more, starting to shift in your position in miniscule movements as you try to assuage whatever restlessness is born from your apprehension.

“Hmm?” Stephen’s soft voice cuts through the thrum of rain and the otherwise quiet. “Are you awake?”

Uh oh.

“Yeah, sorry if I woke you.”

“I was already awake,” he murmurs, his arm beneath his pillow shifting so that his calloused fingers can trace lazy patterns on the bare skin of your lower back. You shiver at his touch, not used to the feeling of his hands touching you there. “What are you thinking about?”

You kept staring at the ceiling, your focus on the pads of Stephen’s fingers against your skin. You fixated on the grounding touch, the sound of the rain on the windows, the earthy and rain-soaked smell that Stephen seemed to carry since earlier.

“I don’t know,” You answered, eyes lost in the dim. You felt Stephen shift beside you, turning to study you intently. 

“You don’t know what you’re thinking about?” 

“Yeah,” You breathed, fingers twisting absent folds in the blanket. “My thoughts are kinda scattered right now. I’m exhausted, but I can’t fall asleep.”

“Maybe…if you said your thoughts out loud? It would help?” Stephen’s voice was quiet, hesitant.

You could hear the catch in the other comedians tone, the uncertainty of his own idea, like it might be rejected, shot down. Not only was that something you would never do, but that did sound like a good idea.

Normally, you were the last person alive who would share their thoughts, but you trusted Stephen with them, knowing that he wouldn’t handle them carelessly. 

Unbidden, you pictured Stephen’s warm, weathered hands cupped around your cheeks as he made sense of your incoherence, gentle and protective. The thought alone caused you to shudder minutely.

“Are you cold?”

“Yes,” you lied.

“Here,” he lifts the covers, signaling you to lay on his chest, and you do. His belly is soft and round, adding to the comfort besides his warmth, you feel his arm wrap around you, and his fingers lace with yours. 

You could feel his heartbeat below, beating steadily as you nuzzle up against his chest. Your heart was full of love, overflowing with affection, and it was all for Stephen. He brought his other hand to your hair, twisting and playing with loose curls, “Do you want to hear some Tolkien?” 

You blushed, you adored listening to him recite to you his stupid, nerdy, Lord of The Rings books, or any Tolkien work that he loved so, so much. “Of course.” 

He cleared his throat, “He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams,” Stephen’s voice was soft and smooth, immediately making you relax into his embrace. 

As he continued talking, your limbs entangled with one another, and you trailed your fingers along his skin, brushing through his chest hair peeking out his top undone button. “It is best to love first what you are fitted to love, I suppose: you must start somewhere and have some roots, and the soil of the Shire is deep,” his breath grew shaky, his grip on you tightening. 

“Still there are things deeper and higher; and not a gaffer would tend his garden in what he calls peace but for them, whether he knows about them or not,” you felt his eyes on you. 

“For many years, I’ve neglected what I cherished most, hoping maybe the stars inscribed coordinates on our hearts so that we should find one another when the time was right,” he inhaled deeply, his chest rising.

“My heart flutters at the thought of you next to me, at the thought of your laughter, at the thought of you in general. I’ve loved you for so long. Time changes things, but my love for you is everlasting.” 

That was not a Tolkien quote. 

Your heart skipped a beat at his remark, your mind still trying to process what just happened. You lifted your chin, turning your head to meet his gaze, “Do you mean it?” 

His smile faltered and his face softened at the sight of you, your eyes were sparkling as much as the stars right now, and he couldn’t bring himself to look away. Stars were just stars, intangible and unreachable, something that he had no use in admiring over. What he did care about, however, was you.

As he returned your glance, he couldn’t help but think about how beautiful you looked, ignoring the tension. “Yes,” he paused, “I love you.” 

You relaxed in his arms and slid your fingertips up over his chest and shoulders to bury themselves in the riot of curls at the base of his neck.

“Only you,” he added, eyes crinkling at the corners.

You tugged him down with a slight press of pressure on the back of his neck, encouraging him to dip down and slot his mouth over yours.

“I love you too,” you murmured against his lips, tilting your head to kiss him more deeply. He let out a little groan from somewhere in the back of his throat that reverberated against your lips and it made you shiver, pushing up into the kiss and swiping your tongue against the seam of his mouth.

You can feel the heat from Stephen's face radiating on your lips, and your ears burn red but something compelled you to go for it. He allows his lips to linger, just barely touching yours. 

You laced your fingers with his again, gently squeezing them as you pulled away. You scoot up to rest your head in the crook of his neck, and you feel his head rest against yours, the both of you smiling as you drift off into blissful sleep, neither of you could wait to show eachother off to the world.


End file.
